


Is It Worth It?

by betterTomorrows



Series: EllieDina Week March2021 [3]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Bullying, ELLIEDINA WEEK, F/F, Friendship, Homophobia, Protective Joel, a bit?, angry, is more like it - Freeform, protective dina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:22:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29828349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/betterTomorrows/pseuds/betterTomorrows
Summary: The year was mostly calm and generally uneventful. Her promise to Joel remained intact. She avoided trouble, but that didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find her.----EllieDina Week: Day 3 - Prompt: Trouble
Relationships: Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Jesse (The Last of Us)
Series: EllieDina Week March2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189691
Kudos: 38





	Is It Worth It?

**Author's Note:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Homophobia, Bullying, Ableism
> 
> This idea totally came out of left field. I was going to write a fluffy Ellie/Dina childhood friends shenanigans fic, but this came out instead. It's been 15yrs since I've graduated high school so if it reads iffy, that's my bad. But one thing I will never forget from that time are the bullies.
> 
> Please be mindful of the trigger warnings. Take care of yourselves. If you are a victim of bullying, please reach out and talk to someone. You are not alone.

The principal’s office at Jackson High School has a few students that get called to Principal Burns’ office on a regular basis—Ellie Williams, the school’s resident outcast, was one of them. She was never the first to throw a punch, but that didn’t mean Ellie wouldn’t retaliate. After enduring years of abuse in the foster care system, she had learned the value of self-defence at a young age.

She remembers the biggest fight in Freshman year, the one that almost got her expelled. It was just a month into the school year when Abby Anderson and her goons cornered Ellie in the locker room after gym class. Ellie tried to ignore them, she really had. She kept her head down and focused on tying her shoes as they called her names from across the room, their jeers and cackles ringing in her ears.

Joel’s words come to mind. She repeats them over and over like a mantra, _“take deep breaths. Think of whether it’s worth your time. Is it worth it?”_

 _It’s not worth it,_ Ellie whispers to herself. It almost worked. _Almost._

Ellie was on her way out of the room until Nora blocked her from the exit.

“Are you fucking deaf? We’re talking to you,” the girl shoves Ellie back and sneers.

Ellie opens her mouth, ready to bite back, but stops when another girl comes up beside her.

“Leave Ellie alone, Nora,” that’s when Ellie recognizes Dina’s voice. In her attempt to keep her head down and befriend the walls this year, she hadn’t even noticed they shared the same gym hour. She’s surprised, really, because since moving to Jackson, Dina is usually the first person Ellie notices anywhere. She’s beautiful, super likable, friendly, and so much more.

After a year of watching from the sidelines, Ellie learns that Dina isn’t your typical popular high school girl. She never flaunt it, she doesn’t look down on others, and she seems to be friends with literally everyone in the school. That is, except for Abby and her group. Dina is one of the rare handful of students who don’t fall for Abby’s antics and bullying.

So, it doesn’t surprise Ellie that Dina had come to her rescue that day. It’s something she would have done for everyone else without question. The part that shocks her is that Dina seemed to know Ellie by name.

“Didn’t know you batted for dykes too, Dina,” Abby pipes up from her corner of the room.

Dina shakes her head and places a hand on Ellie’s shoulder ready to escort her out of the room.

But Nora chimes in quickly, “look at that, Abs, the little orphan is not only a dyke, but she’s also a retard who can’t defend herself.”

Ellie lunged first. Or maybe Dina did, she’s not really sure.

All she remembers from that fight is the aftermath. Nora limp on the cold and dirty tiles of the locker room, face bruised and bloody from Ellie’s punches. Abby had tackled Ellie straight into the lockers, her ribs bore most of the impact, and had left her struggling to breathe. Dina was somewhere in the shuffle when the first punches were thrown. The most vivid memory of the day for Ellie is the image of Dina on Abby’s back attempting the get the taller girl off of Ellie.

Mel was the one who called the teacher for help, and Ellie was grateful that at least one of Abby’s friends wasn’t a total dolt. In the end, Ellie was understandably suspended for two weeks—the biggest penalty she’d ever gotten, but Nora’s injuries were enough proof to back the severity of her punishment. Dina was given a week of detention, which Ellie also had to go to school for. Abby, on the other hand, was given a free pass. Her father, Dr. Anderson, had donated a large sum of money to the school at the time, and Principal Burns hadn’t wanted the jeopardize the donation by punishing his “ _sweet”_ daughter for _“a small insignificant fight on school grounds”_.

The result angered Joel. He had wanted to report the principal to the Board of Education for a lack of disciplinary action against Abby, but Ellie assured him that the effort wasn’t worth it. Those kinds of people would get away with anything as long as they had the money to cover their filthy tracks.

Plus, Ellie didn’t really care much about what happened to Abby and her friends after the fight, because in the end, she had gained a loyal friend in Dina.

Sophomore year was supposed to be different. Now that she actually has friends by her side, Ellie promised Joel she’d do her best to avoid trouble until graduation.

She and Dina had spent the summer together. Ellie thought befriending Dina would be hidden in the shadows, considering the rumours people talked about her at school. There was no way that Dina would have wanted to be seen in public with Ellie by her side. But she was wrong, because before Ellie even knew what was going on, she was invited to bonfires and parties and camping trips. She was introduced to people and her list of friends accumulated enough that she couldn’t count them with all the fingers in her hands.

Dina brought a brightness to Ellie’s life without even realizing it, and Joel could see the positive changes in Ellie as the summer continued its course.

Ellie seemed lighter on her feet. She talked more at home, spent more time outside her room, and sometimes had her friends over to play games when Joel was out of town for work. Joel would normally have Ellie stay with Tommy and Maria when he had to leave town, but he felt more comfortable leaving for the weekend knowing that Ellie would have Dina to keep her company.

Sleepovers with Dina were her favourite nights that summer. It’s the time Ellie would learn about the deeper side of Dina’s personality. They learned of each other’s fears and dreams, they shared secrets in the dark. On one occasion, with the help of a little weed, they talked about something so deeply personal and emotional that they both had to sleep with arms around each other for comfort.

One of those nights was also the time when Ellie learns that she was falling in love with Dina.

Soon enough, her thoughts of Dina went from _“wow, she’s so lovely,”_ to _“wow, I love her so much”_. The switch was so jarring that Ellie was sometimes left speechless around Dina in order to prevent herself from confessing her love.

Sophomore year starts quietly. Abby’s group had found a new victim to torment for the year. Ellie now had her own group of friends to hang with, which made it almost impossible for Abby to find ways to harass her. The only times they ever had to interact was in the halls in between classes, and even then, their exchanges were limited to glares and shoulder shoves when they walked past each other.

The year was mostly calm and generally uneventful. Her promise to Joel remained intact. She avoided trouble, but that didn’t mean trouble wouldn’t find her.

She was standing in the school’s parking lot next to Dina’s car, talking to Jesse about the latest issue of Savage Starlight. They were both waiting on their friend, who was unusually late to meet them.

A loud and crowded “Ooh” from across the lot interrupts their conversation. Ellie and Jesse look up to see a swarm of students huddled in a circle. They make their way to the herd to see what the commotion was all about.

What they see shocks them both.

“Dina?” Ellie gasps, and runs over to her friend, Jesse right on her tail.

Dina is standing over a boy crumpled on the ground, her hands balled in a tight fist and her breath is ragged with fury.

“What the hell happened?” Ellie asks.

“Your fucking girlfriend punched me, is what happened,” Ellie looks down on the ground and finally recognizes the boy. Jordan, the slimiest of Abby’s friends.

Startled by his choice of words, Ellie is left gaping at Dina. Surprised that the girl would ever throw the first punch at anyone. Mostly, she’s a bit struck by the fact that people seem to think she’s good enough to even be Dina’s girlfriend.

“TEACHER!” Someone in the crowd screams, and suddenly the audience has spread out, people scattering about as if nothing had happened.

“Is there a problem here, kids?” The teacher questions the remaining people on the scene.

“We’re all good here, ma’am” Jesse speaks up, and offers his best Golden Boy smile.

The teacher, whose name Ellie always forgets, seems to acknowledge Jesse’s words and leaves them be.

Jordan shakes his head at them and scurries off to his own car.

Jesse picks up Dina’s bag off the ground while Ellie walks a still shaking Dina to her car. Dina’s silence is unsettling, so Jesse shrugs and takes that moment to bid them goodbye.

Ellie gets a ride back home from Dina everyday, but her friends condition makes her want to offer to drive them instead.

“I can drive us today instead if you don’t feel up to it? I can walk home from your house,” Ellie offers, but Dina remains silent. “I don’t know what happened with you and Jordan, but I hope he didn’t give you too much trouble.”

Dina gives Ellie her keys and makes her way to the passenger seat. Ellie starts the engine, ready for a quiet drive home until Dina finally speaks.

“It was worth it,” Dina reaches for Ellie’s hand, “defending you is always worth it.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Let me know if you like it. Stay safe!


End file.
